The special adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has said that President Bola Tinubu deserves a second term just like his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
Onanuga stated this in an interview with Trust Radio on Wednesday. The presidential adviser further touched on the recent claims by the north that Tinubu’s presidency has not done right by them.
He urged the Northerners to be patient and allow the south to complete its term in power, just as the south waited for Buhari to finish his two terms.
Furthermore, Onanuga debunked claims that the Arewa community has been marginalised under the Tinubu-led administration. He described this as an attempt to discredit the works which the president has been doing.
According to him, this is a calculated effort to weaken his government on the basis of his Southern origin.
“This president is a Nigerian. He deserves the same two terms that Buhari had. Let’s not sacrifice the country for personal ambition,” he said.
Speaking on the allegations of federal appointments being disproportionately favouring the Southwest, Onanuga challenged critics to back their claims with verifiable data instead of relying on sweeping generalisations.
Onanuga equally refuted concerns over neglected infrastructure in the North, noting that the Tinubu administration inherited a backlog of incomplete and abandoned projects from previous governments.
He cited the appointment of Northerners to key security positions as evidence of balanced representation under President Tinubu’s administration, also stating that the security situation in the country has improved.
“You need to get your statistics right. It’s all political mischief designed to undermine the President. There are bad roads across the country, not just in the North.”
“The National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff, and the two Defence Ministers are all Northerners. Places like Birnin Gwari and Igabi (in Kaduna) are now safer. I drove from Kaduna to Abuja without incident, a journey that was once unthinkable,” he stated.
